Connor Murphy – 6 GP, 3-1–4, 2 PIM, +7
When Central Scouting ranked Murphy at No. 25 on its final ranking, I think a few people were scratching their heads. That’s only because Murphy has barely played over the last two and a half seasons due to a range of injuries.
However, despite all that missed time, Murphy looked like a first-round prospect. Considering that just prior to the tournament, he only played in a dozen or so games, his performance was astounding. How could a player miss all those games and show no signs of rust?
I think the big thing with Murphy is he knows the game as well as any kid I’ve seen at his age. His hockey IQ is incredible. He makes the smart decisions and the right passes. Additionally, his defensive stick was incredible all tournament long. He was breaking up passes, tipping shots out of play, taking away lanes. It was just a lot of fun to watch.
He’s big, but needs to build strength, which he should have plenty of time for at Miami University. His injury troubles kept him out of the weight room. The scary thing is, if Murphy is this good with all that time off and lack of lifting… imagine what he’ll be like when he’s got a full season under his belt. Woah.
You can’t talk about Murphy without mentioning the fact that he scored two goals in the gold-medal game. He’s not much of an offensive defenseman, but due to that high IQ, he knew when to jump into the play. Both of his goals were top-corner wrist shots that were just under the bar. So the kid can shoot, too. It might be worth it for a team to take a shot at him late in the first or very, very early in the second.
